Google Duo now supports group video chats with up to 8 people. Here's how to set up Google Duo groups on your iPhone or Android device to group video chat with your family or friends. Google GOOGL this week updated it Duo video chat app with group support that allows up to eight people to chat at the same time.

Slack Technologies Inc. is looking for a better direct-listing fate than Spotify Technology SA. The music-streaming service reminded tech unicorns late last year that companies don’t have to issue new shares or raise money through a traditional offering if they wish to go public, and now Slack is following in its footsteps. The business-chat company filed direct-listing paperwork on Friday.

Plenty of Wall Street analysts have weighed in on Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL )’s exposure to the U.S. trade war with China. On Friday, one analyst said Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL ) could ...

It's not often that buying one of the most recognizable businesses in America can be considered a gamble, but in the case of AT&T (NYSE:T) stock, the bull thesis is a bit of a long shot.AT&T is in the midst of a massive overhaul that will either leave it debt-laden and crippled or change the media landscape forever. T stock has become a polarizing investment option, with many betting against CEO Randall Stephenson's grand vision and an equal number watching in awe as he works to reshape the company. While there's a good chance that things could go sideways for the telecom company, the reward for believers in T stock is likely to be a handsome one. The VisionTo get on board with bulls' contentions on T stock, you have to understand Stephenson's vision for the future of AT&T. The telecom sector is slogging through uncertain times right now, and both AT&T and Verizon (NYSE:VZ) knew something would have to change. However the two took diverging paths, with VZ doubling down on its wireless business and T entering more sectors.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 5 Safe Stocks to Buy This Summer Verizon has certainly taken the safer option, but in the long-term will it be better? If AT&T is able to execute on its strategy, I'd argue that T stock will be the winner in a few years' time. AT&T acquired DirecTV and Time Warner as part of a larger plan to bundle services together.Many scoffed at Stephenson's plans to bundle AT&T's wireless plans together with Time Warner's HBO streaming platform and, eventually, AT&T's own streaming network, because research shows that people are moving away from traditional cable bundles and opting instead for individual streaming services like Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). However, if you look at it from another angle, Stephenson is creating an ecosystem which, if successful, will be very powerful. He is planning to offer people the media streaming and the connectivity they need from the wireless industry, all under one umbrella. If it's successful, it will be brilliant. Streaming SuccessA huge part of T stock's future hinges on whether or not the firm can produce a streaming service that can compete with the likes of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)-owned Hulu. The ingredients are all there- AT&T now owns Time Warner's extremely successful film and TV studios. All that's left is execution. If AT&T's streaming service grows in-line with Stephenson's plans, the benefits will be vast. For one, the firm will have created an ecosystem with high switching costs that will help the company add and hold onto customers. Even more appealing to the owners of T stock is the advertising potential. AT&T's customer data will make it easier for advertisers to target specific individuals as well as evaluate how their ads are performing. The RisksOf course, there are a lot of risks associated with this kind of mega-shift that have the potential to cause AT&T stock price to crash even further. First of all, there's the immense competition in the streaming space. It's unclear exactly how many players can survive, and right now competition in the sector is fierce. But even if T's streaming bets do pay off, AT&T might find itself fending off privacy complaints like Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL,NASDAQ:GOOG) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) have. The AT&T of the future will be able to to show its customers targeted ads based on their preferences and location. Since AT&T will also have access to location data from its wireless subscribers, the firm can inform advertisers whether the consumers to whom they showed ads subsequently visited a nearby store. While that could provide a huge boost to T stock, it also has the potential to become a regulatory nightmare. The Bottom Line on T StockI'm a believer in Stephenson's grand plan. AT&T as he envisions it could become a powerhouse in both the media and the telecom sector. AT&T stock price is a bargain if you believe that the firm can pull off its transformation. Plus, T stock has a 6.3% dividend yield that will help make the wait a little bit more bearable. For investors who can wait out a few bumps and stomach the risk, T stock is worth considering.As of this writing Laura Hoy was long AMZN, NFLX and T. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 5 Safe Stocks to Buy This Summer * The 5 Best Telecom Stocks to Buy Now * 6 Innovative Stocks With Big Long-Term Growth Potential Compare Brokers The post AT&T Stock Could Be a Great Bet appeared first on InvestorPlace.

For better or worse, Google Glass is back. Parent company Alphabet (GOOG)(GOOGL) has announced a new version of its augmented reality glasses, priced at $999 per headset and targeting businesses instead of consumers.

Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) stock has been around a long time. It is one of the tech industry pioneers that transitioned from selling software to enterprise companies to delivering professional products all the way through the funnel to individuals.Source: Shutterstock It was an original Silicon Valley company, founded in San Jose in 1982. That's a long time ago, especially in tech world. Remember, Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google is only 20 years old.That means ADBE stock has survived the dot-com bust in 2000 as well as the financial meltdown in 2008. It has also been able to grow as tech has developed, competitors have risen and fallen and revenue models have changed.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Adobe Stock Continues to Look StrongThat is an immense achievement. Adobe isn't a niche player that makes one unique product that has significant barriers to entry. Its growth depends on more and more people and companies using its products. That means it has to stay not only relevant, but ahead of the curve, anticipating the needs of its customers.It made (and continues to make) significant inroads into design software for rapid prototyping (aka, 3D printing) before it started to become mainstream, for example.But the big point of inflection for ADBE is summed up in two simple words: recurring revenue. * 5 Safe Stocks to Buy This Summer Like many of the older software companies, Adobe was based on a model that relied on regular updates on their software versions. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was another prime example.They would sell personal and professional versions of one program, like PhotoShop, and then update those versions over the next year or two. Customers would then go out and buy the new software when it was available.However, as the internet became more integrated into business life, companies started to build their models around subscription-based services. Instead of buying each version of new software from a vendor, people could buy a monthly or yearly subscription that allowed their software packages to be updated as soon as new versions were available.Imagine how much easier this was for companies with hundreds and thousands of employees, each using various software packages. Logistics were simplified, installation times evaporated and IT staff could be more productive. Plus, for companies like Adobe, revenue became more consistent and reliable. That is something the stock market loves.While that transition took some time, ADBE stock has been a big beneficiary of the results, both on the equity side and the business side.It reported Q1 earnings in March and showed that earnings and revenue are doing as well as expected. It also projected the full year to be along analysts expectations as well.The other big thing ADBE is developing now is partnerships with two of the world's top ecommerce companies -- Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Google.It's allowing third-party sellers to use its Magento design suite to make ads and landing pages for Amazon vendors. And on GOOGL, it's providing Magneto to online sellers to design, track and manage its ad campaigns. These could bring about another round of massive growth for ADBE, which continues to stay one step ahead of its competition.Louis Navellier is a renowned growth investor. He is the editor of four investing newsletters: Growth Investor, Breakthrough Stocks, Accelerated Profits and Platinum Growth. His most popular service, Growth Investor, has a track record of beating the market 3:1 over the last 14 years. He uses a combination of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify market-beating stocks. Mr. Navellier has made his proven formula accessible to investors via his free, online stock rating tool, PortfolioGrader.com. Louis Navellier may hold some of the aforementioned securities in one or more of his newsletters. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 5 Safe Stocks to Buy This Summer * The 5 Best Telecom Stocks to Buy Now * 6 Innovative Stocks With Big Long-Term Growth Potential Compare Brokers The post Two Simple Words Keep Adobe Stock Charging Ahead appeared first on InvestorPlace.

For investors wanting to focus on Facebook's (NASDAQ:FB) fundamentals, it has been a year full of distractions. Just about every week, it seems, some new political headline or scandal comes out. FB stock has been a classic example of headline risk. You never know what you're going to get in terms of the latest news from Facebook.Source: Shutterstock There has been no change on that front lately. The company has been hit with more privacy scandals, including a major failure to control user data. Political candidates continue to use big tech as a punching bag on the campaign trail. And foreign politicians are involved as well. For example, on Wednesday, Ireland -- which leads data compliance oversight for the EU -- announced a new investigation against Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL). The EU regulators have already levied large fines against Google, so this is another troubling development for big tech. Now there are concerns about the impact of the China tech battles on FB stock.Add it all up, and it's worth revisiting the question of whether Facebook is better off as one company or several. The political winds seem to be blowing increasingly in favor of smaller tech companies rather than a few giants. So what's the right play for Facebook, and what does it mean for FB stock?InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The Case For Facebook Splitting UpLast November, here at InvestorPlace, I suggested that Facebook should spin off Whatsapp and Instagram. My argument was that "By spinning off WhatsApp and Instagram, FB could avoid taxes and attract new investors." There are three good reasons to think about splitting Facebook into its component parts. * 5 Large-Cap Stocks Getting Crushed in the Trade War First, it should lower the overall tax burden. Countries, in particular European ones, are launching or considering taxes on large tech companies. Some Democratic presidential candidates seem to be considering such a policy as well. By making Facebook three smaller companies, it should lower their exposure to these taxes to some degree.Second, a split-up Facebook gives investors new options. Some folks like the stable, giant cash flows that the Facebook legacy platform throws off. This company would presumably trade at a lower P/E ratio and offer a nice dividend. Instagram would be an attractive high-growth stock targeting wonderful advertising demographics. Meanwhile Whatsapp would be an interesting standalone play on a variety of things such as emerging markets, where the app is huge, and potential mobile banking and payments solutions. It's not hard to see how these three companies could be worth a lot more than FB stock alone is today.And finally, there is the regulatory matter. Some politicians from both sides of the aisle are talking about breaking up the tech giants. President Trump, for one, when asked about it last year said, "I am definitely in charge, and we are certainly looking at it […] That doesn't mean we're doing it, but we're certainly looking at it." Meanwhile, various Democratic candidates are taking tough stances on the tech companies. With another election coming up, tech companies will face heavy fire if anything manipulative happens on their platforms that disenfranchises voters. Can Facebook Truly Break Up Given the Chinese Threat?The case for splitting up Facebook makes a great deal of sense. Recently, however, the trade war has added a new angle to the discussion. Not surprisingly, Facebook's executives have argued that the company doesn't need to break up. Generally, management has incentives to maintain the status quo.Now, however, Facebook is making a novel argument for why it should be allowed to maintain itself as a giant tech conglomerate. That reason, they say, is China. Sheryl Sandberg recently said, "While people are concerned with the size and power of tech companies, there's also a concern in the United States with the size and power of Chinese companies, and the realization that those companies are not going to be broken up."For what it's worth, Mr. Zuckerburg also commented last year, when testifying in Congress, that Facebook and other tech giants would risk falling behind Chinese technology if the government regulated too heavily. At the time, it seemed like an idle threat. Given the recent developments with Huawei in particular, however, this is turning into a real issue. It's almost certain that China will retaliate heavily against American tech companies if its major players are locked out of key international markets.All that said, I'm not sure this works as a get-out-of-jail-free card for Facebook and other tech titans. They've taken advantage of their power. Companies like Google have run into numerous problems in Europe. And Facebook's political scandals loom large, to say nothing of their repeated problems with handling data and upholding consumer privacy. I'm not sure politicians will turn a blind eye to these issues merely because China is a mounting concern. FB Stock VerdictFacebook management's argument that they need to stay together for national security purposes is interesting, but I'm not sure I find it that compelling. There are still a lot of benefits that Facebook could achieve by splitting into three companies. It'd reduce regulatory risk while unlocking more upside in the company's various assets.That said, we'll have to see how the Huawei scandal and the trade war in general play out. One thing is for sure, FB stock will remain a political football in coming quarters. With the company's attractive sub-20x forward P/E ratio, wonderful balance sheet, and huge cash flows, however, FB stock remains a compelling holding despite the political headaches. Barring a wider market selloff, FB stock should reclaim the $200 level this summer.At the time of this writing, Ian Bezek owned FB stock. You can reach him on Twitter at @irbezek. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 5 Safe Stocks to Buy This Summer * The 5 Best Telecom Stocks to Buy Now * 6 Innovative Stocks With Big Long-Term Growth Potential Compare Brokers The post Facebook Stock Is Still a Buy Despite China Risk appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Google Reacts to Amazon as Facebook Is Called to Tame CEO(Continued from Prior Part)Facebook registers Swiss fintech firmFacebook (FB) appears to be preparing for a fierce contest with PayPal (PYPL) and others for revenue in the technology-based

Google Reacts to Amazon as Facebook Is Called to Tame CEO(Continued from Prior Part)Google expands Pixel smartphone distributionAmazon (AMZN) has joined the list of distributors of Google’s (GOOGL) new Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL smartphones,